


Taking care

by purplefox



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 12:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplefox/pseuds/purplefox
Summary: Akira has his eye on his team and takes time to keep an eye on his boyfriend as well. Yusuke makes him feel...soft





	Taking care

A palace was not exactly the most comfortable to take a break but they called a safe room for a reason. Akira was glad that they called for a break he had been keeping his eye on his team the entire time and he knew that the constant shadows and traps were getting to them.

It was a little hard to get comfortable in the bank's room but it was what they had to make do with. Akira had handed over to the others what he had prepared and counted through what he had left before he fell into the seat next to Yusuke. There was coffee, curry, various snacks and sodas for everyone to build back up their strength. it depended on their preferences. the table almost looked like a party

Normally Akira would give mostly everyone the curry but for Yusuke he had made a different plan. He had gotten lucky watching the Sunday shopping show and gotten a box full of the instant Yakisoba that Yusuke loved. Yusuke had mentioned how he had been unable to buy them recently.

The only reason it had stuck out in his mind so strongly. Yusuke was gone on the stuff and Akira saw the appeal but there was more fun in Yusuke eating than he himself eating it himself.

"Joker?" Yusuke queried as he watched the various snacks that he had not been offered. "We're not eating?" He glanced at where Morgana had hung the map they had acquired and the notes of their current progress. "I feel some refuelling might help with our brainstorming."

"We're having something a little different today Fox." Akira teased as he brought out the Yakisoba. Yusuke's eyes behind the mask were worth it. He brought out the chopsticks and reached for the drinks he had prepared. "Let's eat?"

“Of course.” Yusuke reached forward but Akira laughed softly as he pulled back. He watched the confusion flicker across Yusuke’s face at his actions. “Joker?”

“Let me?” Akira asked softly as he waved the chopsticks. Yusuke’s face blushed at his words. “Please?” He watched the way that Yusuke’s face changed before he leaned forward a little more. “Fox?” He teased and Yusuke flushed harder as he leaned closer. “Thank you.” Akira thanked him.

X

“Here.” Akira laughed as he fed Yusuke the first piece. Yusuke was so neat with it. Even though Akira could barely stop himself from cheering with every bite that Yusuke took from him. It was nice. Yusuke allowed Akira to do this. His eyes kept drifting shut with every bite.

It made Akira wish that this was not something like instant ramen but something he had made himself. he was just a little envious of the snack that Yusuke loved so much. He had to fight back a smile as he gently wiped a piece of Yakisoba from Yusuke’s lip with his gloved hand. He knew he was missing out on the warmth from Yusuke’s lip keeping on his glove the way he was.

He knew that but they were in a palace. This was work not a picnic. That could come later… much later. His thumb swiped away the wetness around Yusuke’s mouth before he moved back to dip his chopsticks into the cup again. Yusuke was so cute. He was blushing but he was letting Akira continue.

The others were not paying them any mind. Each in their own conversations or in Morgana’s case the food and map had his entire focus. Ryuji and Ann were speaking in whispers so that was more than enough for Akira.

He smiled when Yusuke waited patiently for Akira to give him the next piece. His eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open. Akira was tempted to kiss it. He was tempted to kiss Yusuke but instead he playfully kissed Yusuke’s forehead instead. That got him spluttering from Yusuke and a deeper flush that could be seen even with his mask.

X

“How many of these did you bring?” Yusuke pressed when Akira opened the last package that he was planning to open during this break. He could hear the others finishing up behind him.

“Um…” Akira mused. “I bought a lot and that wasn’t much.” He playfully stated. He waved the chopsticks in Yusuke’s direction with a laugh. “This is a small amount.” Besides, Yusuke needed to eat more. Akira was happily trying to solve that problem. Yusuke lost in art was adorable but still… necessities.

“This is a small amount?” Yusuke asked as he reached for the chopsticks. “I’ve eaten far more than you have Joker.”

“Really?” Akira mused as he let Yusuke take the chopsticks and the Yakisoba away from him. “I hadn’t noticed you know.” That got him a small growl he doubted Yusuke knew that he gave before he was offering Akira a helping.

He was quick to place his head in Yusuke’s hand so that he could tilt the right way for the waiting helping. Akira kept his eyes closed and fought back his laugh by his willpower. It was a close thing. The chopsticks lingered close to his mouth but for a while they refused to move.

“Fox?” Akira asked teasingly. “Are you not going to-“ He was cut off by the food dropped into his mouth. Not to be deterred he opened his eyes as he chewed. Yusuke was already waiting for him with another piece. Akira could play cute or he could take him by surprise. He honestly liked the idea of both.

Except that Yusuke could be just as cute as he could be sometimes. Akira turned his head slightly to get the next helping only to bump masks with Yusuke because his boyfriend had swooped in for a- kiss maybe?

Who knew what it would have been. Still, Yusuke was quick to recover while Akira chuckled softly under his breath. While he was laughing at the slight mistake, he found lips pressed to his forehead. He flushed even as he fought back the urge to throw his hands around Yusuke and kiss him. His boyfriend was just adorable.

Akira pulled back and opened his mouth to say something but he got food inside of it instead. He shook his head at the smiling flushed Yusuke and instead pressed a closed kiss to Yusuke’s fingertips.

X

“Eyes up maybe?” Ryuji laughed as he gave Akira a high five. “Come on leader. Lead. Look at the tail wag later.”

“Uh huh. I can do both though.” Akira laughed as he took Ryuji’s place on the front line. Three shadows. All had just taken a good zap from Ryuji. They were half dead or on the edge. “I’ll take that into consideration Skull.”

“The enemy is weak to curse!” Morgana supplied from where he stood. “Joker! You have a persona that they are weak to!”

“I certainly do.” All of this hard work, the slow progress through a palace and the work in Mementos to improve themselves and their team work was so worth it. “Arsene! Maeiga!” Even now he had to conserve energy just in case. He always had to think about just in case. Until they found somewhere to catch their breaths, they were vulnerable. Each and every one of them. Even though it was seriously tempting to just crush the enemy with everything they had. He always had to think ahead.

The enemy crumpled and Akira accepted the cheers around him even as his eyes swept the area for new shadows and more work. They had been pushing hard. Another safe room had to be around. They had run across several strange shadows and several treasure chests. Some maps and interesting slips of paper but a safe room had to be around.

“That’s what we’re talking about Joker!” Ann gave him a clap on the back as she joined Ryuji at the beginning of the corner where they had first spotted the group of shadows.

“Let’s carry on.” Yusuke’s hand lingered against his when he brushed past him. Akira smiled at the gesture even as his hand dipped down a bit so that he could gently caress Yusuke’s tail as he passed.

“Right.” Akira smiled as he stretched. He tucked his dagger away. There had been no need for it for this battle. “That’s right, let’s keep going.” He glanced at Morgana who was fixated at something down the corner. “We should see another safe room soon.”

“There’s a shadow.” Morgana whispered and Akira sighed. “Looks pretty weak, what you want to do Joker?”

“Let’s take it obviously.” Akira smiled as he crouched by Morgana. He watched the shadow approaching the slow walking. “On my count.” He watched the way the shadow lumbered closer and closer to them. He smiled when he felt Yusuke stand by his side. “Almost…” He said softly as he counted the steps and watched the shadow approach.

Hopefully after this one they could get a little peace. Or at least find another safe room. Akira had to think ahead. He was always thinking ahead when it came to this.

X

“Nice dodge Joker!” Ann laughed as Akira landed on his feet. He gave a laugh he did not feel as he glared at their opponents. “Now it’s crunch time!”

“That wasn’t nice.” Akira hissed as Yusuke stepped closer to him. Having Yusuke’s at his side offering his support was everything. “I thought we were going to work something out. Don’t tell me that connection we just had was a lie.” It was a fight to keep his voice calm and even. He had been looking forward to a new persona. This mess up had him pissed.

“Joker.” Yusuke said softly. “At your call.”

“I know.” Akira murmured before he glanced at Morgana. “Mona.”

“Weak to Ice and blessed attacks.” Was the report. “That means you and Fox are up again Joker.”

“Because getting the drop on them and holding them up somehow isn’t enough.” Akira tsked before he sighed heavily. Goodbye new mask. Goodbye new persona. He could try again but after that snapback he would rather try someone new. “Fox.”

“At your call.” Yusuke’s voice was so cold. He was standing a little ahead of Akira his body angled slightly to protect Akira from the five shadows they faced. Not necessary but it was still adorable. It was still nice. Yusuke was so adorable. He had to be pissed about the negotiation failing too. “I’m sufficiently energized.”

“That’s not nice.” Akira laughed softly even as he summoned his persona. “You want to go all out? We might have found what looks to be a safe room but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect.” Akira reminded him as he watched Yusuke’s persona form. “Fox, don’t take it easy but don’t turn the place into an ice palace. Control your rage and let that passion of yours fill the move.” He got a curious glance for his words but then the savage smile that he loved formed. He could never see that outside of the Metaverse and oh how he adored that look.

“Noted.” Yusuke purred as he faced the shadows again.

“Let’s do this then.” Akira smiled as he sifted through the moves, he knew would do the most damage for all the shadows but would not drain him too much. In case they called for backup. Or during the time between now and them making it to what looked like a safehouse door, more shadows popped up. Or it wasn’t a saferoom door. “Shadow run!”

“Mabufula!” Yusuke had taken his words to heart. The move was not draining but the power he poured into it. It looked like a toss up to who caused the most damage. Akira watched the crystals break shattering what enemies had survived the first sweep of their attacks.

“Pretty.” Ann sighed. “And good job Fox! Nice job Joker.”

“Cool moves Joker!” Morgana had excitedly already moved towards the door they had been aiming towards when the shadows had caught their attention. “And look! A safe room!”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Ryuji groaned. “I need to sit down after all that running about. We had a rest not too long ago but I need another one. Catch my breath without shadows popping up and stuff.”

“I feel you.” Ann groaned as Morgana pushed the door open and disappeared inside. “Wait Mona!” She groaned before she dashed after him. “I swear… children.”

“Wait for me.” Ryuji picked up his step before he vanished inside the safe room as well.

“Let’s get going shall we?” Yusuke offered his hand to Akira and he could only laugh before he took it. “A break sounds nice.”

X

“A break sounds really nice.” Ann sighed as she popped her can open. Akira watched as she took a seat on the nearby table. “All those shadows. All that security. We have to be close.”

“The map is showing nothing but good stuff.” Ryuji agreed as Akira tossed him his can. Akira hid his smile behind his glove as Ryuji turned away from Ann to pop the tab. There was a bit of sizzle a bit of spillage but nothing too over the top and he was glad about that. “We’ve got to be close. What do you think Mona?”

Akira carefully popped the cover off the soda bottle and handed it to Mona. Morgana gave him a grin before he took the seat right next to Ann’s perch. “The map doesn’t lie. This room might not be on the map but it is along the path to the treasure. We’re close. You can see it in the security.”

“And the numbers.” Ann muttered as she stared at her can. “Joker… toss me those chip snacks. A drink isn’t going to cut it. My legs feel better already.” She crossed her legs as she sighed. “But I’m drained. We’ve been running around so long I feel everything I ate earlier was burned out.”

“Don’t talk about that.” Ryuji groaned as he took a seat next to Ann. “I swear that running around in palaces and the Metaverse has seriously messed with my metabolism. I’m eating way more than I used to and I’m always hungry man. I eat and then we do two floors and my stomach is barking.”

“Part of me wants to rag at you but I’m taking your side here Skull.” Ann propped an elbow on Ryuji’s shoulder as she took a big sip. “We ate way more than we used to. We just had the equivalent of a meal and look at us. We need drinks now and something to snack on.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when I’m packing.” Akira told them in amusement. “I guess we’ll have to adapt. Every single one of us.” He was quick to toss over the snacks. Small and light. He had gotten them on sale. Not exactly fulfilling but it would give them some energy back as they rested. Morgana needed Ryuji’s help to open the bag without spilling but Ann was quick in opening her own.

And Akira… he really needed that seat. He was aware of Yusuke trailing after him and he was glad for it as he headed to the back of the room. He took the seat in the corner with a sigh and he smiled when Yusuke gracefully fell into the seat next to him.

“Haven’t forgotten you Fox.” Akira smiled even as he let his head rest back a bit. The seats were uncomfortable but that was honestly to be expected in a palace like this one. The castle’s seats had not been that comfortable either. “You really like this cold coffee thing don’t you?” He teased as he handed the can over. “Is it fair if I ask whose is better?”

Both have their uses and their pleasures.” Yusuke smiled as he took off his mask. Akira watched it vanish in light blue flame as Yusuke popped open the can and took a long sip. “However.” Yusuke murmured softly as he shifted in his seat. Akira’s eyes were drawn to the tail that hung across Yusuke’s leg. “I find when it comes to accompanying food and being a pick me up. Your coffee is better. However, yours is to be savoured.” Yusuke gently shook the can in Akira’s direction. “This is more on the go.”

“I guess I’ll have to settle for that.” Akira smiled before he handed Yusuke a small packet of dried fruit. “It’s one the few things that I still have.” He admitted when Yusuke gave him a glance. “That’s still small.” He had to admit as he opened a can of his own.

“As always you’re prepared Joker.” Yusuke praised before he drank. The sigh he gave afterwards was not loud but it filled the space between them as Yusuke relaxed in his seat. His hand that held the can came to linger on the armrest close to Akira’s own hand. It seemed natural to trace his gloved hand over Yusuke’s own. To run his finger down to cold trail of the can as he tried to relax. “We’re making progress.” Yusuke said softly as he gently swirled the can in his grasp. “We have to focus on that and not just the amount of shadows we keep encountering.”

“Think about the traps that we haven’t sprung.” Akira sighed. “Securing this route is work. Thee are so many things we avoided and it is still a tedious task.”

“Still a necessary and enjoyable one.” Yusuke pointed out as he moved the can from where Akira was drawing lines on the condensation. Akira knew that his grin was seen so he turned his head away. “Honestly.” Yusuke tsked as his hand moved away so that he could take another sip. There was a crumple of a can before Yusuke sighed again. “Panther’s and Skull’s worries about food and us are legitimate. I can’t help but wonder how much energy I can really get from this.”

“Nothing beats food after all.” Akira acknowledged. “But still Fox, we really did just eat. We have no idea how we’ll feel in the real world. It’s best to wait for now. I have the feeling that if we push for just a bit more that we will be where we need to be.”

“I have the same feeling as well.” Yusuke sighed. He began to slowly eat the fruit so Akira took that time to pop open a canned coffee as well. Before he could raise it to his lips Yusuke’s hand was there. Akira watched the way Yusuke almost lazily sketched something on one side of the can before he went back to eating.

When Akira turned the can towards himself, he saw sketched in the condensation two symbols. The word for strength and the word for luck. “You’re really too good for me.” Akira said softly as he gently touched the symbols. “But why these two?”

“You may currently be the strongest person that I know but that doesn’t mean that you won’t need more. That all of us won’t need strength and improvement.” Yusuke said softly. “Also, so far I’ve noted that you have luck in abundance. That doesn’t mean that I don’t wish even more on you. Some more wouldn’t harm matters. It may even rub off on the rest of us.”

“So to us then.” Akira smiled as he toasted Yusuke. “And to the phantom thieves.” He toasted the backs of Ryuji, Ann and Morgana before he took a sip and sighed with pleasure. “I hate to sound old but this is so sweet.”

“Yours has a more mature flavour.” Yusuke chuckled. “Maybe we’ve gotten used to the coffee you make and Leblanc’s coffee.”

“Really?” Akira laughed softly. “Is that a good thing? We’re supposed to be enjoying our youth. Enjoying junk. Not running headfirst into…” He trailed off as he offered his can to Yusuke. He watched the way that their fingers brushed when Yusuke accepted. He waited until Yusuke had taken a sip for him to lean forward. “Indirect kiss.” He teased. He had been expecting a flush but the eyeroll he got before Yusuke drank deeply again after his words made Akira chuckle.

X

“Forget rested, I think we’re crossing into boredom territory.” Akira sighed as he stretched out his feet. “I think it’s been long enough.”

“I certainly agree.” Yusuke ran his hand over his face and when he pulled it away there was a light trail of blue fire that formed his mask. “We should get back to exploring.”

“We’re more than rested up.” Akira stretched before he ran his hand over Yusuke’s own. He got his hand grabbed back so he stood up and pulled Yusuke with him. “We’ve got a treasure to find. An infiltration route to secure and answers to find.”

“As expected of you Joker.” Yusuke’s hand was warm in his and the way that he gently played with Akira’s hand made him smile.

“Time to get back to it guys.” Akira told the three that had begun to lounge various places and positions as time moved on. “We’re rested enough. Let’s show what shadows that we do find that the phantom thieves are not to be messed with.” There was a spring to his step as he moved towards the door and when he placed his hand on it, he was tingling all over with excitement.

X

“Everyone is in agreement? This is what we’ve accomplished today.” Akira folded his arms before he glanced back at the palace. “We got lots of work done. We worked well in teams and we got more than enough information.”

“We found the locations that maps hinted towards.” Ryuji pointed out as he glanced back at the palace. “We got the control rooms located and we found plenty of safe rooms.”

“We pushed ourselves hard today.” Ann nodded as she hooked her whip back onto her waist. “We found items and we got a few masks for Joker. We had a few hairy moments but today wasn’t a waste.”

“Sounds about right.” Morgana nodded. Akira’s eyes fell to Yusuke who was watching the palace with his hand on his sword. He must have sensed Akira’s gaze on him because Yusuke met his gaze. Akira gave him a small nod and Yusuke’s tail wagged before he gave the group his full attention.

“We’ll have to return to make certain that the treasure room is the one that we seek.” Yusuke pointed out as he dropped his hand from his sword. “Then it is time for preparation.”

“We got time.” Ryuji pointed out. “Right Joker?”

“Until we are absolutely certain, we should act as though we have a deadline.” Akira pointed out. “Until we know for certain that the treasure is right there and we have a way to deliver the note in a way to cause an impact. We shouldn’t relax. When the job is done only then we can relax.” He gave a small stretch even as he kept his eyes on his surroundings.

“You’re right Joker.” Ryuji laughed. “Guess I got carried away with it going so smoothly.” He sighed. “But until this bastard is through, we can’t relax.” He frowned and pulled at his mask. “Now I’m fired up but upset at the same time.”

“Just because we have more to do doesn’t mean that we have not done plenty here.” Yusuke pointed out. “The job is not compete but we’ve already accomplished much here.” He glanced back to the palace before he glanced back to them. “We shouldn’t let what we have to do dim what we’ve already completed. Joker is correct. We’ve worked hard today.”

“We did push rather far.” Ann pointed out. “So gong back now isn’t a bad thing. We have to keep up our strength and next time we meet we should think over everything so far.”

“I agree.” Akira took out his phone. “So if you guys don’t mind. It’s time to head back to the real world. We’ve done enough.” He received nods from everyone so Akira quickly activated the navigator.

X

“Good work everyone.” Ann laughed as she placed Morgana into Akira’s bag. He smiled at her in thanks as Ryuji gave a long stretch and yawn. “We did good today!”

“Yeah we have.” Ryuji sighed as he glanced around them. “But man I’m hungry and tired. This metaverse business is hell on my wallet. I think I’m going to head home and binge on my mom’s leftovers.”

“Your Mom cooked?” Ann looked interested as she adjusted herself. Summer uniform was pretty easy on all of them but unlike Akira, Ryuji and Ann had their own ways. “Lucky.”

“Tell me about it. She won this lottery and the extras were supposed to expire in a months so we’re just doing whatever.” Ryuji sounded half gone at the thought. “Creativity in the kitchen is everything. I’m tempted to start bringing more. I’m tempted to start entering these housewife lottery things.”

“Is that even legal?” Yusuke had swung his bag onto his back. “We are students.”

“People do it all the time.” Ann frowned. “One it’s not one the big lottery ones. The small little ones should be perfectly fine. For like items or like ten thousand yen or something. Anything higher and I would be suspicious.”

“Yeah and I’m not that stupid. Just hungry.” Ryuji sighed. “I wanna go home and eat… and get started on that assignment.” He grumbled. “I don’t want to fail.”

“Good luck on that.” Morgana laughed from Akira’s bag. “You’ll have to go right home right away and study until morning in order to pull that one off.”

“Shut up.” Ryuji grumbled.

“So anyway.” Ann checked her watch. “How about we get out of here? I want to buy something before I head home. We’ll message each other later on tonight. Right Akira?”

“If there is anything to discuss that we think about we’ll talk about it tonight and finish tomorrow when we meet up again. I trust everyone else is free?” Akira smiled at the murmurs of agreement. “Well in that case let’s go home and rest up. We still have school matters and other things t attend to.”

“I couldn’t put it any better myself.” Ann agreed. She carefully checked her bag before she smiled again. “Let’s get going guys.” She took the lead and Ryuji fell into step next to her.

“Yusuke.” Akira said softly when Yusuke began to follow. “Do you have anything to do now?”

“Anything?” Yusuke questioned softly as they fell into step behind Ryuji and Ann. “As a matter of fact no. I don’t. I was planning on returning to the dorms.”

“Then don’t go back.” Akira felt his palms sweat a bit as he kept his voice low so it would not carry. “Let’s make a stop before we go back. A thank you for good work. A bit of that.”

“You’ve already gone beyond what you should be doing.” Yusuke’s laugh was soft and low. “But I’ll accompany you for a while longer Akira. There is no hardship to it.”

X

“My treat.” Akira pulled out Yusuke’s chair and smiled at the way his boyfriend’s face lit up at him. “We should eat after everything today.”

“You’ve already treated us.” Yusuke sat down at the counter and smiled when Akira sat next to him. “You keep giving and giving, you keep watching over us. You keep guiding us Akira.” Akira’s eyes closed when Yusuke gently pushed back his hair from falling over his glasses. “You truly are a leader.”

“I’m still feeling my way through.” Akira admitted before Yusuke slipped the glasses off his face. He laughed at the careful way Yusuke placed them on the counter. “I know you hate those.”

“They hide your eyes and distort your true self. For the illusion with others it is fine.” Yusuke smiled as he took up the menu. “But when you’re with me I prefer your true self. I prefer that we be honest and bare ourselves to each other.”

“I couldn’t put it better myself.” Akira laughed softly. “You truly are a dream Yusuke.” He watched the way his boyfriend’s eyes moved down the menu as he toyed with the bamboo placemat. Akira had picked a pretty good place. Not only was it empty on days like these, the menu was slightly different too.

Feeding Yusuke was more than a pleasure. It was Akira doing his job as leader as well. Just that he enjoyed it. Yusuke sometimes forgot about himself in the pursuit of art. That was fine with Akira. he was keeping an eye on his boyfriend and supporting him as a partner and as a friend at the same time. The benefits were endless.

All this time together, these small things made them closer. These little moments with his boyfriend deepened their bond and their understanding. For Akira, he had come to Tokyo to not just keep his head down but to start over.

Yusuke was a new beginning and the door he opened to Akira. with every moment he learned more about himself. the more he was with Yusuke he learned things about himself he would have never thought about.

He was the devoted type. Who knew? He was touchy, how would he have guessed? He never wanted Yusuke to leave… who would have guessed that? Accepting his true self and being with Yusuke… the door it opened for him it really-

A soft murmur from his bag alerted Akira so he laughed before he brought the school bag with Morgana in it to a better location near his feet. Morgana would sleep until the got back to LeBlanc. He had pushed himself fairly hard in Mementos today but he would be up later urging Akira to rest.

“Instant Yakisoba is nice and all.” Akira murmured softly. “But nothing beats food made in a restaurant, right? Ready to order Yusuke?” He smiled at the way Yusuke redoubled his efforts of reading the menu.

X

“It’s so warm. It’s steaming.” Yusuke smiled after their bowls were placed. Akira watched in amusement the way Yusuke took up his chopsticks as he spoke. “Such a wonderful meal. I’m extremely grateful.”

“It looks like it is going to be really good.” Akira admitted he took up his own chopsticks. He began to move some of his toppings to Yusuke’s bowl. Not that he hated them, he could eat anything provided it was not a deadly concoction. It was just that having Yusuke eat more was a better idea. And sharing was nice. “I’m glad we came here, the wait was a bit longer than I thought but the bowl is huge.” Also, he might enjoy feeding Yusuke.

“Akira!” Yusuke looked so touched at the extra toppings that Akira really wanted to kiss him. He would have too if the servers were not bustling around and the presence of businessmen were not a heavy reminder around them. “These are my favourite toppings.”

“I know.” Akira smiled as he used his chopsticks to eat one of the toppings that remained in his bowl. Yusuke was still looking at him, he had a light blush that Akira really wanted to do something about. He made do with eating another topping. “I thought I would give you a treat.”

“Another treat you mean.” Yusuke chuckled as he dipped his chopsticks into his bowl. “You’ve been treating me so well lately. Even this treat has another treat inside of it. It’s rather inspirational.”

“Really? That’s good.” Akira smiled as he leaned on one elbow so he could face Yusuke and eat with his other hand. “I have to keep one my best fighters in the best shape body and mind.” He lowered his voice as he watched Yusuke eat. “Also have to keep my boyfriend happy too.” The flush spread to Yusuke’s ears and it was so adorable.”

“Akira.” Yusuke was flushing as he ate. “I-I do wish I could do more for you.”

“More than you already do?” Akira waited for Yusuke to look at him before he lowered his chopsticks and tapped his glasses on the counter. “You accept me, understand me and know parts of me that people never will. You expose me to things I would have never seen. You support me as a leader, a partner and a friend. We’re equal in all ways Yusuke.” Akira took up his chopsticks again and bit into a topping. Half remained and he offered it to Yusuke. “Anymore and my feet would leave the ground.” Akira teased.

“We can’t have that.” Yusuke only gave a half-hearted glance around before he took the rest of the topping from Akira’s chopsticks. Akira’s heart thumped in his chest as he watched the way Yusuke chewed and swallowed before he turned back to his own bowl. “But I will find my own way to treat you.”

“You’re already a treat but okay.” Akira dipped his chopsticks into his bowl once more with a laugh. “I don’t mind.”

X

“I can’t come to Yongen.” Yusuke whispered as they stood together in the station. None of them had made any movements towards the trainlines. Both of them had retreated to a quite corner by some vending machines. “I have to return to the dorms.”

“I know.” Akira admitted as he held Yusuke’s hand. “That doesn’t mean that I want you to go Yusuke.” There was nothing and no one around them. He took the chance to cradle Yusuke’s face. “I never want to see you go.” He watched the conflict break out in Yusuke’s eyes and Akira forced himself to fall into responsible mode. Even though he did not. “But I know what you have to do.” He admitted softly. “You do have to go back.”

“If I could return with you I could.” Yusuke’s hand held his. Held Akira’s hand firmer against his face. “The thought of staying with you is far more appealing than returning to the dorms.”

“But you have to go back.” Akira pointed out. “You’ll be able to stay over again. I can wait.” He promised. “Today, what we’ve manage to do today. It’s enough for now. I’ll see you soon.” He whispered.

“It never feels like soon enough.” Yusuke’s eyes closed at his own soft words before he sighed deeply. Akira felt his shoulders relaxing before he leaned up. at the soft brush of lips Yusuke reacted. An arm around Akira to steady him and pull him against him. Soft, gentle and sweet. All the longing, love and sweet disappointment with it. They were so greedy but who could blame either of them?

When Akira pulled back Yusuke was flushed. His lips were red and slick and his summer uniform was slightly in disarray. Akira was certain that he looked no better. “I need to put you on your train before I drag you to Yongen with me.” He muttered softly.

His words were directed a bit towards himself but Akira felt so light in his heart when Yusuke smiled and a laugh escaped him. It gave Akira the strength to not just take Yusuke’s hand in his again. It made him take the steps needed to head towards Yusuke’s trainline. He knew he was being greedy but memories of their day were flashing through his head.

Fox had supported him every step of the way. They had several moments together fighting or just resting in the saferooms. Yusuke had given not just his support but his ideas and knowledge. He had reminded Akira every step along the way why he was so valuable.

Their time outside of mementos had not been wasted either. They had gone for Yakisoba as themselves. Someplace no one knew them and they had not just acted their age they had been playful and in love.

They were in love. Every time with Yusuke was just perfect. It was normal not to want to be separated from him. But it was just this time he could not come back to LeBlanc with Akira and that was just fine. There would be another opportunity and another and another. He exchanged a smile with Yusuke before he tightly squeezed the hand in his. It was more than fine.


End file.
